Into the Nexus
by NeoFurr
Summary: It did something to me. I know you think I'm crazy, and maybe you should. But I'm not. It's true. I found a leak of Into the Nexus, or so I thought. It's ruining me. I'm seeing things. I can't even think coherently. Please, if you read this, or even if you don't... Do not let it happen to you. Don't let them take you...
1. Chapter 1

I'm not sure why I'm writing this. Honestly, I think it's to sort out my own psychotic thoughts and convince myself that I'm sane... Although, come to think of it, it'll probably only prove my insanity to you. Whatever. I don't care. I don't even know you, and you don't know me. You can think I'm crazy for all I care. As long as I know I'm sane, that's what matters.

Right?

Don't answer that. _They_ already have.

Sanity...

What is it, even?

Mental normalcy? But what even constitutes that? Who's to say you're not the mad one and I'm perfectly sane myself? I mean, you're the one _reading_ this.

Reading this. Whatever it is that this is. A confession? Maybe. I don't even know myself. All I know is that this happened. It was real, whether you believe it or not. I _saw_ it. And as much as I wish I didn't, and as much as I wish I could forget... It happened.

My stomach is sick just thinking about it.

It's one of those things that's hard to say, and I don't know where to start. I guess the beginning is as good a place as any.

Last week I was re-playing and researching Ratchet and Clank in order to write my fanfictions. I've always loved Ratchet, and even though he is technically an icon for younger gamers, I can't help but sexualize him. On that note, after a bit of writing and research, I opened up a browser that wouldn't save my online history and did a search for, well, Ratchet smut. Pictures. There is plenty of fanart hidden in the folds of the internet, and I knew just where to find the best.

It's embarrassing to admit, yes, but I have a tendency to... Pleasure myself as I write certain scenes in my fictions or otherwise. Ratchet, being my number one fantasy. So I started touching myself as I set the pictures up to display in a slideshow. Forgive me for not elaborating, but it's very much a different thing to describe what I did myself, than to make up the actions of fictional characters in my writing.

As I did this, a picture appeared on the screen. Ratchet, bent over on his hands and knees, tail held high, and presenting his devilishly sexy tail hole. His balls visible through his legs, and a wet, dripping cock beneath. It was awesome. I leaned forward to get a better look just as I saw something flash on the screen, just for an instant. It confused me for a moment and my mind tried to justify it by considering that maybe I just blinked. I shrugged that off quickly, knowing that I had indeed seen something. My second guess, was that the picture was a GIF.

I tapped "escape" on my keyboard and found the source picture and watched it intently, waiting for it to change. It didn't. As I brought my mouse over it, the pointer turned into the familiar finger icon, telling me that this picture was also a link. Curious, I clicked.

The screen went completely black, except for a pulse of white that was barely noticeable flashing every few seconds. Words appeared in green type, each letter appearing at once, as if someone was typing it.

"CLICK HERE to download RACHET AND CLLNK INTO THE /"

I considered the link cautiously. I knew that Ratchet and Clank: Into the Nexus would be released shortly, but was this a leak? Was this a scam? It was spelled pretty awful, that much I knew. And the word Nexus was replaced with just a slash.

My curiosity got the better of me, and I clicked the link, figuring I could just do a system restore on my computer if things got messed up. A download started, a zipped folder that said it would take a few hours to fetch. I tried leaving the black screen to get back to the pictures before, but there was no (X) button in the corner, no back button, nothing. I figured it was a scripting error and hit "Ctrl+Alt+Delete" to close it. I let the download continue while I continued looking at Ratchet pictures, finishing my business after a while.

I cleaned up and closed the browser, then turned on my PS3 for some classic Ratchet via the HD Collection. The credits for Insomniac and Idol Minds went by, which I always had a tendency to laugh at. I was something of an Insomniac myself, and my therapist used to tell me that idle minds make for wandering thoughts. And for me, wandering thoughts always led to... Well... Sexual fantasy.

I loaded Up Your Arsenal, mostly for the purpose of studying Sasha's character and voice, but as is usual, I ended up playing through, grabbing every secret, skill point, and sidequest by memory. I played for a couple hours until I heard my computer sound. The download was done.

I hit pause and unzipped the folder to find a file with an extension I didn't recognize, and a Word file. I opened the document, and found a short list of instructions:

1. Unzip

2. Load onto USB/Flash

3. Plug into PS3

4. Download

5. Play

6. /

Easy enough. I rummaged through my backpack and found my flash drive and plugged it in. It didn't take long to transfer the file, but the whole time it was doing so, I couldn't help but feel strange. The / in the title, in the instuctions, and now the file appeared as /./ in the file transfer. Part of me knew I should feel guilty for essentially pirating a leaked copy of my favorite franchise, but I justified it in my mind, knowing that I'd end up buying the actual game down the line.

Once it had finished, I closed my laptop and pulled the flash drive out, only to stick it into the front of my PS3, figuring I'd store it there while I finished my game of Up Your Arsenal.

To my surprise, a notification appeared over the game screen. Just one word and two options.

Download?

Yes/,

/

I hesitantly chose yes, and suddenly the screen went into a rush of download bars, announcing updates for R&C HD Collection, Deadlocked HD, and then All for One and Full Frontal Assault. Finally, after supposedly updating the other games, it started downloading "Into the /."

I waited patiently, wondering what updates just happened, and if this was actually Into the Nexus or some other thing. Part of me panicked silently, afraid that I had just put some virus on my PS3, but my curiosity kept me from ripping the flash drive out of the USB port.

The download finished, and my PS3 restarted automatically. I grimaced, hoping there was an autosave relatively close to where I had been cut off in UYA. The XMB loaded and I was greeted by a little bubble with a "/" icon inside. I clicked it, and it started installing.

At this point I was beyond excited. If this actually worked, I'd be able to get the jump on the game way before anyone else! I'd be able to write advanced reviews, fanfictions about it, pull screenshots and videos if I wanted... My mind raced through the possibilities as the installation bar crept to 100%.

I quickly opened my games folder and went to my most recent download. I hovered on the icon for a moment, then tapped the X button.

The game opened, and the first screen appeared.

WARNING. If you have a history of epilepsy o/"

/

/

DO NOT CONTINUE.

The last part grabbed my attention. I paused for a moment, my breath catching in my throat.

"What the?..." I said to myself, but figured that it was just an error. The game was technically still in development, so maybe they hadn't put in the text yet for that screen.

I hit start to advance, when suddenly the screen flashed bright red, then green, then red, then blue, then green, then blue...

My room was lit up as the television spasmed in bright colors. I could feel my pupils dilating. My head felt like it was in a vice. I clenched my jaw and tried to tap the start button, but I couldn't seem to reach it. My hand wandered over the controller as the lights grew dimmer. Was it stopping? I swallowed hard, feeling like I was going to throw up and felt myself losing my balance, my head throbbing.

Suddenly I woke up, lying on the ground in a heap. My shoulder was dislocated and my head hurt. I popped my shoulder back in place (I was a lifeguard for 5 years and have a bad shoulder anyway so after dislocating it a few times, it's kinda second nature for me) and ran a hand over my face. It hurt. I must have fallen and hit my head on the dresser or something? I don't know. Whatever I did, I had a nasty bruise on the side of my face.

I slowly pushed myself to my feet, feeling instantly dizzy. I dropped to my knees and tucked my head down, breathing deep and trying not to pass out. My mind still hadn't registered what had happened. In fact, at that moment I couldn't really recall anything at all. Just that I had woken up on the floor... Was that... Pee?

I touched my hand to my pants, and sure enough they were soaked. "Dammit..." I growled, and tried again to stand. This time I made it to my feet, and unbuckled my pants. I pulled them off, followed by my underwear, and threw them in a bundle into a laundry basket. I sat on my bed, pantsless, and finally noticed the television.

On the screen was a picture of Ratchet's face, twisted into a strange, uncharacteristic smile. The colors were negative, making Ratchet's eyes a light bluish-white glow with a white frame around the iris and jet black highlights and "whites" of his eyes. The rest of him glowed a disgusting shade of purple brown, greens and blues seeping through. My skin crawled as I looked at it. Ratchet's ears were pointed up and curled, resembling horns, almost, and his teeth looked threatening. In fact, had it not been for his trademark aviator cap on his head, I wouldn't have even recognized him as my favorite character, and sexual fantasy.

Beneath the unsettling picture was a single line of text.

"/We/come/ /to/ /the/ /Nexus/"


	2. NexusNexusNexus

/We/come/ /to/ /the/ /Nexus/

I stared at that screen for what felt like an hour. What the heck had just happened to me? What was that screen? That message? I looked at the text, confused slightly at the overuse of slashes, but even more confused as to the message it was intended to give.

"Welcome to the nexus?" I muttered to myself, my heart racing, whether it was from fear of what was happening, or because of my little episode a moment ago I'm not sure. Welcome to the nexus. Or was it we _come_ to the nexus? The spacing suggested that the slash might represent an L, but it almost seemed that it could be used either way. Maybe the slashes meant something though. Why were there slashes surrounding spaces and words? Were there missing words in the message? I'd done a bit of coding before and knew that slashes are often used in coding languages to mark text and commands and other things, so could it be that this was simply unfinished code? Or maybe a joke?

I shook my head, trying to clear my mind.

A sound from outside my bedroom door caused me to look up. Remembering that I had taken off my pants, I quickly rummaged through my dresser and pulled on a new pair of underwear and some gym shorts, just in case someone was about to come bursting through the door, as is normal at my house.

I live at home still, in a bedroom across the hall from my parents and with 5 siblings. I was used to never having any sort of privacy, and honestly, the fact that nobody had come through to say something or other was a bit odd. I could normally count on one of my brothers barging in to ask if they could play a game or to show me something or to bother me, or my sister coming in to talk about her boyfriend or the dance show she watches, or my parents to call me to dinner, get on me about homework or tell me that I'm a lazy ass.

The fact that none of that had happened since I turned on the game made me very uncomfortable.

I listened for the sound again, listened for any sound at all, but the house was silent. Did I imagine the sound? No, I don't think so. But what was it that I even heard? I strained my memory, but it failed me. I had no idea. I only knew that I had heard... _Something_.

The sound of my breathing seemed to be growing louder. I tried to calm my breaths, but it was almost as if I could hear every air molecule collide with my trachea as it clumsily was sucked in and out of my lungs. I rubbed my eyes. The light in the room was dim, a purple glow to it. I figured that it must have been from the television, the negative colored Ratchet face with the sinister grin. I looked back up at it, the image making me squirm. There was something about it - apart from the obvious - that scared me... Bad...

I snatched the controller and hit the start button. Suddenly a computerized tone blared out of the speakers. I hurled my body back in terror, the loud sound shattering the silence that filled the room and making my heart leap into my throat. The sound started off low, then started to get higher and higher. It sounded strange, like one of those bin-aural tones that naturalist therapists use to calm people down and spiritualists use to lucid dream. A solid tone, but waving and beating in my eardrums as it got louder... Higher...

My brain seemed to stop functioning as the sound racked it with the most painful headache I have ever experienced. Soon the frequency of the sound was too high for my ears, but the vibrations... _The vibrations_ sent rigid chills up my spine and pinned my body down. I closed my eyes and clenched my jaw, my hands clamped tightly over my ears as I writhed on the bed.

I'm not sure how long it took before the sound quit and I could open my eyes and uncover my ears, but when I finally did it almost felt like the noise hadn't even existed in the first place. I almost laughed at how over-dramatic and imaginative I was, acting like I was in pain like that, but the lingering memory of agony stifled my laughter and made me question my sanity.

"Nexus nexus nexus..." I muttered as I sat up. Why did I say that?... Whatever. It didn't matter. I looked at the screen and froze.

The screen was dark, except for a series of numbers.

**13:00**

**...**

**12:59**

**...**

**12:58**

**...**

A countdown. Thirteen minutes. I grabbed the controller and held down the PS button, trying to quit the game or return to the menu. No luck. I jumped up and hit the power button on the Playstation, on the TV, on the remote. The timer stayed on the screen. In a last effort I gave a terrified whimper and ripped the power cords out of the wall.

The timer remained, counting down.

**12:38**

**...**

**12:37**

**...**

I stumbled back, choking out a terrified whimper. Up until this point I figured that this entire ordeal had been the sick joke of some douchebag programmers. Maybe even some jacked up anti-piracy measure cooked up by Insomniac. But this? This was _impossible_...

My mind scrambled for rational answers. Maybe there's a temporary battery in the television, to keep time and settings and stuff. And maybe that stupid file that I just downloaded... Maybe it somehow tampered with that and gave the television enough power to project the image of a timer on the screen... Yeah, that'd make sense...

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. I figured I'd give myself an extra measure of comfort by checking the internet to see if that was even possible, or maybe find out what this "Into the /" meant. I turned to my laptop, flipped it open and reached for the power button.

My hand froze before I could even touch it.

There, on my laptop screen, synchronized perfectly with the television, was the timer.

**11:22**

**...**

**11:21**

**...**

I almost hurled my computer against the wall. I frantically hit buttons, power, ctrl alt delete, escape, anything. I smashed my hands against the keyboard, hoping for some response, then turned the thing over and ripped the battery off of it. The timer was still there. I screamed out hopelessly, my voice cracking into a frightened whimper. Then silence.

Silence...

I sat up straight. I knew there was somebody home earlier, but now there seemed to be nobody. Surely somebody would have heard my wailing just now.

My body tensed up as my mind went through every possible worst case scenario. I stood, put my hand on the doorknob, and turned.

The hallway was silent, the lights dim except for a purple glow that seemed to be coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once. It wasn't the television. There was something strange about the light. Maybe it was my eyes? Maybe my eyes were messed up from seeing all those colors and things?

I took a few steps down the hall. Something else was different. I felt strange. Like butterflies in my stomach. Tingling all over, like that pins and needles feeling you get in your feet after sitting on them for too long. I could feel my hair standing on end and goose-bumps appear on my arms. I shivered suddenly.

A flash of red. A face. /

I stood up straight and blinked, breathing in sharply. What was that? The hall seemed to shrink before me, my gut churning unpleasantly. I felt like I was going to vomit.

Suddenly a sound. It sounded like... Something hitting something? Falling? A shout?

I furrowed my brow. It was a sound, I knew that... But what was it? What did it even sound like?

I continued down the hall. On the walls were pictures of my famil... No... There were picture frames. All adorned with the same symbol inside.

/

Every photo had been replaced with a slash.

I broke into a run, feeling surrounded on all sides. I let out a scream, the sound of it hurting my ears. That was a scream. That's what that sounded like. Panicked, I stumbled into the front room, only to be greeted by a television with another timer.

**10:01**

**...**

**10:00**

**...**

A thirteen minute countdown. Three minutes were up.

What did it mean?...

Thirteen... Thirteen... An unlucky number, sometimes symbolized the devil, and sometimes god... In superstition it is feared... Hmmm...

"Oh..." I hummed.

I counted on my fingers, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8... 12... But if you count the other...

It can't be...

"Into the Nexus is the thirteenth game in the series..." I mused.

I counted over the games again. Ratchet and Clank. Going Commando. Up Your Arsenal. Deadlocked. Size Matters. Secret Agent Clank. Tools of Destruction. Quest for Booty. Crack in Time. All 4 One. Full Frontal Assault. If you count the HD Collection, that's 12... And Into the Nexus makes 13.

My breathing quickened. Nexus. Nexus.

Nexus.

I clenched my teeth, trying to think of the definition of the word, thinking maybe it had something to do with what was going on.

Nexus.

/

Nexus.

/

/Nexus/

We/come

Welcome to the Nexus...

Connection.

Welcome to the connection.

/

Nexus. Something that connects things. Like a slash. Welcome to the /... Welcome to the nexus... It meant the same thing.

Welcome to the connection.

The connection between what?

Suddenly the room felt hot. I looked up just fast enough to see the light turn red, blood starting to ooze out of the walls. I screamed, distancing myself from the walls only to find that the furniture and floor was sweating blood as well. I panicked, looking for something to grab onto, to steady myself. I shrieked in horror as I realized that even my own clothing was bleeding. I frantically tore at the fabric, ripping it off of my body and throwing it on the ground. Blood smeared my chest and arms, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get it off.

The center of the room erupted in flames, burning bright until it died down enough to distinguish 9 burning rings, each one inside the other and growing smaller until at the center a devilish red flame glowed, like a hellish bulls-eye target.

9 circles. Hellish. Connection.

I was in the nexus.

The nexus between my boring little earth life...

And Hell.

**9:07**

**...**

**9:06**

**...**


End file.
